USA Network lauds prof's anti-bully app

By Valentino Lucio :
July 2, 2012
: Updated: July 2, 2012 8:34pm

Appddiction Studio president and CEO Tim Porter presents his company's latest app, Stop Bullies, on Friday, June 29, 2012. The app has earned Appddiction Studio recognition from USA Network's Characters United for their efforts to end prejudice and discrimination. The app provides a way for people to report on evidence of bullying or harassment to school administrators.

University of Incarnate Word professor Tim Porter was named a USA Network Characters Unite honoree for his development of a mobile application geared toward combating bullying in schools and online. Porter, the founder, president and CEO of Appddiction Studio, developed the Stop Bullies app, which allows students to send real-time alerts to school administrators when a bullying incident is witnessed.

Annually, the network honors 10 individuals from around the country for their efforts in combating hate and discrimination.

“We received many nominations, but Tim Porter stood out for his incredible commitment and innovative efforts to use the latest technology to enlist kids, teachers and schools to help stop and prevent bullying,” Toby Graff, senior vice president of public affairs for USA Network, said in an email.

Later this summer, Porter will be honored during a local ceremony and will be featured in an on-air public service announcement that will run on USA and online at
www.charactersunite.com. Porter, 40, also will receive a $5,000 grant from the network, which he will use to launch the Stop Bullies application software at area schools, he said.

“We came up with the idea to help empower schools,” Porter said. “We just want to help make schools safer because I have a son now who is 2, and I would hate for him to have to go through bullying. Schools should be safe and a place where students can go to learn.”

The app has been in development for more than a year and just launched last month. It's available for the iPhone and iPad and is expected to launch later this year for Android-based devices, Porter said.

Two area private schools are expected to launch the app at their campuses in August, Porter said. So far, he has received interest about the app from around the nation, and he is meeting with area school districts about it.

To use the app, schools will purchase the software and students, who have downloaded the free app, can then send real-time texts, pictures or videos to administrators. School officials will receive the message along with a mapped location or website of where the bullying incident is occurring. And although the messages are sent anonymously, Porter said they will be able to block messages from a device that is known to submit false reports. Plus, the app has several resources to help educate users about bullying and ways to find help.

“It is important for students to empathize and try to help a victim of bullying in a way that does not make them a direct target. The anonymous nature of the application helps students report bullying without having to intervene,” said Michelle Boykins director of communications and marketing for the National Crime Prevention Council.

It's estimated that 160,000 students avoid school everyday to elude bullying, Porter said.

“We want schools to take a stand against bullying because it's truly a national epidemic. At the end of the day, we wanted to offer something innovative and that could save lives,” Porter said.

Porter, who is a professor of information systems at UIW, also is a former employee of the Express-News.